Wiki Post #1 for Richard Wright’s Black Boy: What observations did Richard Wright make about race, class, discrimination, and inequality in the Jim Crow South as a young child? What confused him, and why did he want to know more?
As a kid Richard saw the differences of the house where he and his family used to live and without knowing that there were white folks who lived in better conditions or in greener areas. As a young child Richard saw a White man beating a black boy, as he asked his mother and learned that he was not the little boy father felt anger. If a child has misbehaved the father has the right to hit him. An example of the discrimination and equality could be when Richards family moves with her grandmother, and he sees two different places for whites and blacks. He wants to see the difference but is told not to by his mother. Finally, his uncle’s death, where he was not given the right to be buried and how the whole family hides with fear and hunger. Richard did not only want to know more but understand why life had been so unfair (Elizabeth Moreno).
As a young innocent child Richard couldn't quite comprehend why his life was so different from the white people. His mind was filled with questions that no one dares to answer. He often got in trouble by his mother for asking about what he seen and experienced in his everyday life. He constantly wondered why his family had to endure hunger, while the white family, who employed his mother, always indulged in fine foods. He wondered why a white man would beat a child for no particular reason; as a result Richard learned to fear whites. Richard’s absent father also influenced his life. His mother didn’t have money, and she told Richard that he no longer had a father. As a result Richard developed a bitter association between hunger, and his father. Even though he didn't understand the significance of oppression, discrimination, racism, and inequality he developed bitterness towards the whites because he seen how much privileges they had, compared to blacks.
Lucero Rivera
Amber Bowen:
Richard did not have much of an understanding of race or class growing up. When he learned about a white man beating a black boy, he assumed it must have been his father. I think one of the reasons these racial labels confused him so much was because his own grandmother was white. The first time Richard really confronted the issue of race was when he noticed that white people and black people sat on separate sections of the train. He didn’t understand why they were separated. His mother never made much of an effort to clear up this misunderstanding for him. Whenever he inquired about why his grandmother was white & why the trains were segregated, his mother would brush off his questions like he wasn’t old enough to know or that it didn’t matter. As far as issues of class go, Richard was always hungry and he didn’t understand why some people had enough to eat while he was always fighting off hunger pangs. He began to associate his hunger with his father. He always had to figure these things out for himself. His family and peers never helped him understand why things were the way they were . He constantly was asking why, why, why with no response or explanation.
One significant observation Richard Wright exposed on class discrimination was hunger. At first the hunger he felt was no stranger to him, nor did he know the true meaning of the pain he endured. However, not understanding these feelings baffled him, and when he would complain to his mother about his hunger she would tell him to wait. He did not understand why he had to wait, why others were able to eat when they wanted to, but he could not. He also experienced a feeling of bewilderment when his mother repeatedly sent him for groceries after failed attempts. She had already known he was getting attacked by a group of boys on his way to the store, but instead of compassion she threatened to beat him if he didn't stand up for himself. Baffled again at this absurd notion, he followed his mothers orders and soon realized the lesson being taught. He learned most of his lessons through experience because of the lack of communication his family would provide him. They would scold him for asking questions, instead of doing what he was told. To his mother, he was disrespectful, however, Richard never felt like he understood what was going on and why his actions were constantly wrong. However, this did not stop his search for knowledge. Later, he would understand that his color and his social class had more to do with it than he could comprehend as a young naïve child whose views of the world were still developing. [Amy Tucker]
Humera Khan:
Growing up, Richard Wright did not have an understanding of race, class, discrimination and inequality. He didn’t realize the difference between his family and whites families. He was a curious child who would always ask the question WHY? Asking questions would get him in trouble and be beaten. His family never taught why there were these differences and inequality. Anytime he asked his mom about these differences, he was told that “you’re too young to understand.” “It was in this manner that I first stumbled upon the relationships between whites and blacks, and what I learned frightened me. Thought I had long known that there people called “white” people, it had never meant anything to me emotionally” (p.23). It didn’t mean anything to him; who was white and who was black. “To me they were merely people like other people.” He grew up in poverty, hunger, fear, and hatred. Richard would lie, steel and rage at those who wouldn’t answer his questions. When the word circulated in the black community that a “black” boy had been severely beaten by a “white” man, Richard assumed that the white man was the father of that black boy, therefore he had a paternal right to beat his child like his father did. When his mother told him that the “white” man was not the boy’s father, Richard was puzzled. When his father left them, his mom had to work as a cook for a white family. To keep them out of trouble, their mother would take them to her job. Richard loved standing in the kitchen and watching his mother cook the food he was forbidden to eat. He would watch the white folks eat up the food and wonder why he couldn’t eat when he was hungry. Why did he always have to wait until everyone was through? “I couldn’t understand why some people had enough food and others did not” (p. 19).He had to wait until the white folks were done with food, and he would eat the left overs. This really confused him. Richard wanted answers and explanations to all his questions and concerns. He was still learning things such as why his grandma is white and why there were two different sections for whites and blacks on the train.
As a young child, Richard Wright was consumed with the internal family turmoil, he experienced daily. He did not notice racism, classism, or discrimination, until he heard about the black boy being beaten by the white man. Richard was confused as to why everyone was making it a big deal. Didn't the black boy deserve a whipping cause, he was bad? Wasn't the white man the black boy's father? Richard's grandmother was white, so what was the difference? Come to find out, the white man was not the black boy's father, and he was not whipped; he was beaten. I feel Wright began to put the pieces together after his father left, and his mother had to get a job cooking for white people. She would take Wright and his brother with her to work, where they would often stand at the doorway, wondering why the white people had more than enough to eat, when they had barely anything. Richard's mother had taken his father to court for child support, because she was struggling, and the children were hungry. The judge's decision was based on the father's word, in which, his mother gained no child support. Linking his anger and rage against his father to his constant hunger pangs, Wright wanted nothing to do with his father. Soon, Wright started to ask questions as to why the white people treated the black people poorly, why he couldn't eat when he was hungry and created a fix to the issue of discrimination his family and community experienced, "All right, I was colored. It was fine. I did not know enough to be afraid or to anticipate in a concrete manner...If anybody tried to kill me, then I would kill them first." (p49) (Ashlee Hickey)
Richard Wright noticed that race, class, discrimination, and inequality played major roles in the Jim Crow South through hunger, the wealth of Uncle Hoskins, the separate lines at the ticket window for the train, and white privilege. Following the sudden absence of Richard Wright’s father, he experienced hunger and starvation to the extent that both of those qualities could not be quenched rapidly. Uncle Hoskins used his wealth to help provide for Wright, his brother, and his mother. “During my visit at Granny’s a sense of the two races had been born in me with a sharp concreteness that would never die until I died.” (pg. 42). The separate lines at the ticket window for the train opened Wright’s eyes to the visible discrimination in the Jim Crow South, in which he became intrigued. White privilege was evident in the Jim Crow South by the ability to hire domestic workers, like Wright’s mother, to assist them in their homes for a low wage. Sometimes, Wright’s hunger was quenched by his mother’s employer’s leftover crumbs.
The segregation of black and white people, the chain gang, and the complexion of his grandmother were some aspects of the South that confused him. “I wanted to understand these two sets of people who lived side by side and never touched, it seemed except in violence.” (pg. 43). He mainly wanted to know more about the South to solve his curiosity of segregation. [Natacha Woodson]
"...I began to be aware of myself as a distinct personality striving against others." (p. 30) Hunger. Survival. These are the interdependent themes heavily expressed in Richard Wright's Black Boy. Hunger is a recurring motif throughout Wright's life, and he experiences it as a child and as a young adult. Although hunger is felt physically in his story, especially after the support of his father is unavailable, Richard also endures hunger metaphysically. As an inquisitive boy, Richard hungers for knowledge and tricks; As a hungry boy, Richard hungers for food and drink; As a young boy, Richard hungers for acceptance and praise; And as a "black boy," Richard hungers for self and understanding. Richard makes many discoveries and realizations about who he is and who "whites" were in the Jim Crow South. In his curious nature, he often makes observations about race, class, and discrimination in the environment in which he lives. One of Richard's realizations occurs when boarding a train to Arkansas, "And for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line." (p. 46) Richard starts to become aware of the different "colors" he sees and attempts to make deeper distinctions between them. He doesn't fully understand why white and black people are treated differently; he asks his mother about his own grandmother's color in hopes of discovering the true meaning behind the races. Richard's comprehension of the races become more clear to him as he grows older. When Richard "grows taller and older" (p. 78) he associates with other black boys in the neighborhood. He illustrates a conversation from pages 79 to 81 that shows how dependent this fraternity of black individuals were upon one another. "The touchstone of fraternity was my feeling toward white people, how much hostility I held toward them, what degrees of value and honor I assigned to race." (p. 78) "The culture of one black household was thus transmitted to another black household...Our attitudes were made, defined, set, or corrected..." (p. 81) This understanding between black brothers roots the perspective Richard would have on white people, including the experiences he shares with his family, for instance, when Uncle Hoskins is shot dead by white people because of his steady liquor business. Richard also makes discoveries about class throughout his childhood, forcing him to become aware of the role he'd have to play in taking care of himself and his brother. Richard's mother would work in white people's homes in the kitchen. As these white people would sit and eat a luxurious meal, Richard was forced to stay in the corner, hungry. "I could not understand why some people had enough food and others did not." (p. 19) Richard is trying to grasp the concept of wealth and poverty. He wants to know why he doesn't have food, something that digs way deeper than race or color. No food was a result of no money. After his father had left his family and especially after his mother had a stroke, Richard was forced to work and make money to provide. This struggle could be seen in Esperanza Rising as well, when her mother had Valley Fever. The youth had to work and save money, because being a second-class citizen was difficult.
Without survival, however, there is no hunger. Richard has survived so much as a child and a "black boy." He overcomes many obstacles and is constantly learning from his mistakes. Every anecdote he illustrates results in a new lesson learned. Whether it be as trivial as killing bees (p. 49), drinking in a saloon and writing curse words on windows (p. 20-21), or as significant as survival on the streets (p. 18), Richard learns to survive through his childhood in the Jim Crow South. [Matthew Freitas]
Always moving from one place to another, Richard Wright had endured quite a lot while growing up; a lot in which made him question himself and those around him. With no understanding of race, class, discrimination and inequality, he experienced it one by one. He experienced class through his family’s desperate need of food and money. Always questioning as to why he had to wait until white people were done eating just to get left over scrapes of their food (mother’s work place). He also then experienced race through the death of his uncle; for his uncle had been killed by white men for being a successful business owner. His death also made Richard confused as to why this kind of thing would happen. As for discrimination, although he wasn’t quite aware of his actions, he had discriminated against Jews. For the fact that he was taught at a young age during Sunday school that Jews were “Christ Killer”. In result to that belief, he had taunted the Jews that owned a store by his home. He insulted them by chanting things like: “Bloody Christ killers, Never trust a Jew. Bloody Christ killer, What won’t a Jew do?” (p.61) Along with that, Richard had also witnessed inequality at the train station with his mother and brother. He had noticed that there were two different lines at the station and two different sections of the train; one for black people and the other for whites. Because of this type of separation and the unanswered questions from his mother, he continued to seek answers as to why things are the way they are. [Mai Cha]
As a child, Richard Wright always knew that he was different from all the other boys but never really knew why. For children an issue of race, discrimination, class, and inequality never hits their radar. Richard was quickly overwhelmed with curiosity and started to ask questions. Richard starts to ask everyone about the differences of whites and blacks but none of them will get him answer straight answers. Curiosity killed the cat or in this case Richard’s innocents and trust for knowledge when he would get in trouble for asking all the wrong questions. (CHRIS PARK)
“Richard Wright’s recollections of life as a young black boy growing up in a world steeped in racial tension, mistrust and fear utterly shocked me. Not so much because of the squalid conditions he endured, nor the dysfunctional—and often abusive—nature of his relationships with those around him. What really surprises me as I pour over the pages is the utter bewilderment he experiences as he slowly builds a picture of what it is to be a black boy at that moment in history. The tension between the races is so violent and runs so deep that it begins to appear instinctual, as if the races really are separate species with an innate, genetic disposition to mistrust and hate one another.
Wright describes a growing awareness that “blacks” are different from “whites,” and that the two groups exist on completely separate planes, occupying separate space—both publicly and privately—traveling separate roads—both literally and figuratively—and even, to a degree, speaking a separate language. Yet each time he makes an effort to gain knowledge of the “how and why” of this separation, those around him react by deflecting, denying or even attacking him in his quest for understanding. “Because,” “Shut up,” “Stop asking silly questions,” fill the air any time Wright sets forth a question in an honest effort to make sense of a senseless world. On page 47, when he struggles to understand why Granny—who appears to be “white” on the surface—lives an otherwise “black” life, Mama refuses to address the question and instead deflects his every inquiry. She finally ends the encounter by mocking her son; “They’ll call you a colored man when you grow up… Do you mind, Mr. Wright?” From the separate neighborhoods to the piles of food seen on the tables of “white folks,” to the inexplicable violence, nothing in the world seems to make sense to young Wright and his efforts to discover the truth seem to be curtailed at every turn.” (Ian Loveall)
Richard began to notice the differences between classes at a very young age because he grew up in poverty where hunger always lingered. He once helped his mother work in a restaurant and noticed an abundance of food but was forbidden to eat any of it. He watched as others ate as much as they desired and he could not understand why they had the right to eat and he did not. This was an important observation because he experienced the differences between classes and learned that he was in the lower economic class.
Richard first noticed discrimination between blacks and whites when he heard the story of a white man beating a black boy. He initially thought the white man had the right to beat the black boy because he believed the white man was the boy’s father. He confused his father for being white because he had lighter skin but he then realized that being white was more than just having light skin. Before hearing about the beating he had never noticed whites but after having this knowledge he began to pay attention to the inequalities between races. (Patricia Perez)
Richard Wright became increasingly curious about the meanings and implications of being black and being white through interactions with his grandmother. Wright thought of his Grandmother as white due to her fair coloring; she was a vital part of his family and her being white was of little consequence to him. Wright’s family often encountered financial trouble and from a very young age Wright learned that Grandma was the only reliable lifeline who could be called on for assistance in times of need. Grandma lived differently than Wright’s family. In comparison to the series of rickety shacks and meager meals Wright’s family was accustom to, Grandmas house was spacious and elegant with a well stocked pantry. Wright became aware of racial discrimination in part by the way his grandmother was treated when she ventured out with black grandsons in tow. He began seeking answers from the adults he was close to and their reluctance to explain only heightened his hunger for understanding.
-Chantelle Schneider
As we can plainly see, Richard had a very confusing and rough childhood. He moved a lot during the first fifteen years of his life. He seemed to have grown up confused about his race, class, inequalities, and discrimination that surrounded him, his family, and the people of his color. His mother always avoided to answer some of the many questions that Richard had about why they were treated certain ways. He was never explained the differences between the privileges that people had for simply being white and how he didn’t have the same privileges as they did even though they lived around white people, just for simply being black they were inferior to them. For instance, on his way to the groceries store he got assaulted by some white kids, he didn’t know exactly what it was that he had done wrong, but he figured him looking different had something to do with it. Also, when he was confused as to why they had killed his uncle if he was a nice successful man. He didn’t know that they had killed him because it was not acceptable for a black person to be of equal superiority of even higher than a white man. As Richard gets older he observes all the discrimination and inequalities that people of his color went through day by day and it’s like a puzzle because he begins to understand things and everything seems to start making sense for him. He begins to understand that just because he looks different he is treated differently. Richard went through a lot of beatings from his parents for doing, saying, and asking things he was curious about since no one seems to care to explain to him what was going on in his surrounding, but Richard soon acquires enough knowledge about all these things going on and he sees the cruel reality that people of his color go through.
- Sammy Rincon
As a child growing up, Richard Wright was very curious and was in tough scenarios growing up. Wright had no knowledge of race, class, discrimination and inequality. He had an idea people were white and black. But as he heard and saw what the white man did to blacks he grew even more confused. The constant moving, the constant hunger and the loss of his father were situations that made him the man he turned out to be. Those obstacles became normal for him. But the was still more questions than answers.
-Jorge Carrillo
Some how the color white had an invisible ruling over the color black in the south. The whites had aurthority. The whites had food. The whites had power over the blacks. Richard lived with the daily confusesion of the entitlement the color black had over white. Richard's childhood was not grounded in one place, him and his mother moved as it was necessary for their livelihood. No matter where they moved race, class, inequalites, and discrimination followed him. Being the curious child that he was, Richard took his own personal experiences as well as the incidents he had witnessed and put them to memory as if they were evidence that was leading up to an explanation to the unclarity Richard faced. Richard seeked out anwsers from his mother but his yearning only lead to a lashing, which only left him with more unanswered questions. Richard's hunger only grew greater with the number unanswer questions. (Emily George)
Richard Wright was taught as a young child that Whites were superior to the blacks. In his mind he did not know why they had privileges he did not. As a child Richard had to experience great hunger. While his mother worked in the kitchen he and his brother had to stand there in the corner starving, watching the White people eat as the door swung open: Just maybe they would get some scraps to eat if any were left on the dirty plates. Even though he was told all his life to obey the Whites, Richard still could not grasp why the blacks would “allow” themselves to be treated as animals. He could not adapt to the fact that was the way life was supposed to be. He wanted more for him and his family and was not going to settle for anything less. As time goes on he realizes that his way of thinking is different than other blacks. He wants to be a writer and that was unheard of during his time. His own family would ridicule Richards’s dreams and not encourage him at all. They just wanted him to get some schooling and get any job that would help pay bills. As time passes Richard does not let his dream die, and continues to defy what a “South Black” should be. He feels there is more to life than settling and he is willing to risk anything to get it. Richard continues to be hungry as he surches for knowlege to feed his soul. (Jen Quintana)
Richard began to experience the things he would hear about dealing with white employers and white coworkers, but never experienced it for himself. As he comes in contact with white people, he fails to understand the proper etiquette when in from of a white person. He battles with himself, because he knows that in his household everything, he does is respectful but according to the white people it makes him seem better than them. He battles with himself constantly lacking the understanding of why what he does offend white people. He also battled with himself when Mr. Crane did not understand why Richard was quitting, but Richard knew he could not tell Mr. Crane out of fear. The south was a bubble to Richard where he would never advance, and he fought to advance with attaining several jobs. It was a battle he had to have with himself, learning from a friend how he should act, speak, and never appear to seem smarter than the white man. No matter how much he learned he also came off as smart and better than the white man. Richard would become aware that he was truly inferior to the white man and needed to stay out of their way at all times. (Deshawn Larrimore)
As a young boy in Jim Crow South, Richard Wright was constantly at odds with his family, his friends, and his community. He made many observations and had many first-hand experiences which fueled his questioning of the racism and inequality that plagued the South. Wright asked his mother many times to explain why he must obey and live by the unspoken social code that forced blacks to be subservient to whites; his naivete (or strong natural will) could not allow him to make any sense of these rules. He did not understand why he was to be scared of whites, he did not understand how he was supposed to act and speak with whites, and he certainly did not understand why he was always hungry while whites had an excess of food. The most profound and pivotal event for Wright was the senseless and brutal murder of his Uncle Hoskins. His uncle was a successful black business man and the whites could not stand it; they killed him and the family was denied access to the body for proper burial. It was at this time that Wright understood there was an entrenched hatred for blacks by whites but he did not know why. Upon reaching adolescence he still did not understand the reasons for this hatred; to make matters worse he had reached working age and could not learn how to properly be submissive towards whites which made employment extremely difficult. Wright became notorious in every community he moved to (and as a child he was forced to move a lot) as a sarcastic, disrespectful, and haughty black boy; all of these characterizations were unwarranted but pervasive because he did not speak or act properly with whites. As he grows and becomes older his lack of deference to whites continues to be a persistent problem and eventually creates tensions within his family and among his peers. (Gilbert Felix)
As a young child Richard Wright’s perception of race, class, discrimination, and inequality were skewed due to his mother’s hesitancy to answer his questions about why things were the way they were. Since everyone avoided the topic it left Richard to find out answers himself. One first experiences he had with race was when he was on the train and black and whites were forced to be segregated and sit in different sections. This only fueled Wrights curiosity and confusion because his mother wouldn’t give him a direct answer. Another time he was treated different because of the color of his skin was an incident of him getting beaten up by a group of white boys while going to the grocery store. But inequality wasn’t just because of the color of your skin, when Wrights mother took his father to court to try and get child support so her children would be hungry the judge took the fathers word over the women’s word. This made Wright full of anger and resentment towards his father. As he gets older he started to comprehend how his color and social class effect his life in more ways than he ever knew. (Sarah Pino)
As a kid Richard saw the differences of the house where he and his family used to live and without knowing that there were white folks who lived in better conditions or in greener areas. As a young child Richard saw a White man beating a black boy, as he asked his mother and learned that he was not the little boy father felt anger. If a child has misbehaved the father has the right to hit him. An example of the discrimination and equality could be when Richards family moves with her grandmother, and he sees two different places for whites and blacks. He wants to see the difference but is told not to by his mother. Finally, his uncle’s death, where he was not given the right to be buried and how the whole family hides with fear and hunger. Richard did not only want to know more but understand why life had been so unfair (Elizabeth Moreno).
As a young innocent child Richard couldn't quite comprehend why his life was so different from the white people. His mind was filled with questions that no one dares to answer. He often got in trouble by his mother for asking about what he seen and experienced in his everyday life. He constantly wondered why his family had to endure hunger, while the white family, who employed his mother, always indulged in fine foods. He wondered why a white man would beat a child for no particular reason; as a result Richard learned to fear whites. Richard’s absent father also influenced his life. His mother didn’t have money, and she told Richard that he no longer had a father. As a result Richard developed a bitter association between hunger, and his father. Even though he didn't understand the significance of oppression, discrimination, racism, and inequality he developed bitterness towards the whites because he seen how much privileges they had, compared to blacks.
Lucero Rivera
Amber Bowen:
Richard did not have much of an understanding of race or class growing up. When he learned about a white man beating a black boy, he assumed it must have been his father. I think one of the reasons these racial labels confused him so much was because his own grandmother was white. The first time Richard really confronted the issue of race was when he noticed that white people and black people sat on separate sections of the train. He didn’t understand why they were separated. His mother never made much of an effort to clear up this misunderstanding for him. Whenever he inquired about why his grandmother was white & why the trains were segregated, his mother would brush off his questions like he wasn’t old enough to know or that it didn’t matter. As far as issues of class go, Richard was always hungry and he didn’t understand why some people had enough to eat while he was always fighting off hunger pangs. He began to associate his hunger with his father. He always had to figure these things out for himself. His family and peers never helped him understand why things were the way they were . He constantly was asking why, why, why with no response or explanation.
One significant observation Richard Wright exposed on class discrimination was hunger. At first the hunger he felt was no stranger to him, nor did he know the true meaning of the pain he endured. However, not understanding these feelings baffled him, and when he would complain to his mother about his hunger she would tell him to wait. He did not understand why he had to wait, why others were able to eat when they wanted to, but he could not. He also experienced a feeling of bewilderment when his mother repeatedly sent him for groceries after failed attempts. She had already known he was getting attacked by a group of boys on his way to the store, but instead of compassion she threatened to beat him if he didn't stand up for himself. Baffled again at this absurd notion, he followed his mothers orders and soon realized the lesson being taught. He learned most of his lessons through experience because of the lack of communication his family would provide him. They would scold him for asking questions, instead of doing what he was told. To his mother, he was disrespectful, however, Richard never felt like he understood what was going on and why his actions were constantly wrong. However, this did not stop his search for knowledge. Later, he would understand that his color and his social class had more to do with it than he could comprehend as a young naïve child whose views of the world were still developing. [Amy Tucker]
Humera Khan:
Growing up, Richard Wright did not have an understanding of race, class, discrimination and inequality. He didn’t realize the difference between his family and whites families. He was a curious child who would always ask the question WHY? Asking questions would get him in trouble and be beaten. His family never taught why there were these differences and inequality. Anytime he asked his mom about these differences, he was told that “you’re too young to understand.” “It was in this manner that I first stumbled upon the relationships between whites and blacks, and what I learned frightened me. Thought I had long known that there people called “white” people, it had never meant anything to me emotionally” (p.23). It didn’t mean anything to him; who was white and who was black. “To me they were merely people like other people.” He grew up in poverty, hunger, fear, and hatred. Richard would lie, steel and rage at those who wouldn’t answer his questions. When the word circulated in the black community that a “black” boy had been severely beaten by a “white” man, Richard assumed that the white man was the father of that black boy, therefore he had a paternal right to beat his child like his father did. When his mother told him that the “white” man was not the boy’s father, Richard was puzzled. When his father left them, his mom had to work as a cook for a white family. To keep them out of trouble, their mother would take them to her job. Richard loved standing in the kitchen and watching his mother cook the food he was forbidden to eat. He would watch the white folks eat up the food and wonder why he couldn’t eat when he was hungry. Why did he always have to wait until everyone was through? “I couldn’t understand why some people had enough food and others did not” (p. 19).He had to wait until the white folks were done with food, and he would eat the left overs. This really confused him. Richard wanted answers and explanations to all his questions and concerns. He was still learning things such as why his grandma is white and why there were two different sections for whites and blacks on the train.
As a young child, Richard Wright was consumed with the internal family turmoil, he experienced daily. He did not notice racism, classism, or discrimination, until he heard about the black boy being beaten by the white man. Richard was confused as to why everyone was making it a big deal. Didn't the black boy deserve a whipping cause, he was bad? Wasn't the white man the black boy's father? Richard's grandmother was white, so what was the difference? Come to find out, the white man was not the black boy's father, and he was not whipped; he was beaten. I feel Wright began to put the pieces together after his father left, and his mother had to get a job cooking for white people. She would take Wright and his brother with her to work, where they would often stand at the doorway, wondering why the white people had more than enough to eat, when they had barely anything. Richard's mother had taken his father to court for child support, because she was struggling, and the children were hungry. The judge's decision was based on the father's word, in which, his mother gained no child support. Linking his anger and rage against his father to his constant hunger pangs, Wright wanted nothing to do with his father. Soon, Wright started to ask questions as to why the white people treated the black people poorly, why he couldn't eat when he was hungry and created a fix to the issue of discrimination his family and community experienced, "All right, I was colored. It was fine. I did not know enough to be afraid or to anticipate in a concrete manner...If anybody tried to kill me, then I would kill them first." (p49) (Ashlee Hickey)
Richard Wright noticed that race, class, discrimination, and inequality played major roles in the Jim Crow South through hunger, the wealth of Uncle Hoskins, the separate lines at the ticket window for the train, and white privilege. Following the sudden absence of Richard Wright’s father, he experienced hunger and starvation to the extent that both of those qualities could not be quenched rapidly. Uncle Hoskins used his wealth to help provide for Wright, his brother, and his mother. “During my visit at Granny’s a sense of the two races had been born in me with a sharp concreteness that would never die until I died.” (pg. 42). The separate lines at the ticket window for the train opened Wright’s eyes to the visible discrimination in the Jim Crow South, in which he became intrigued. White privilege was evident in the Jim Crow South by the ability to hire domestic workers, like Wright’s mother, to assist them in their homes for a low wage. Sometimes, Wright’s hunger was quenched by his mother’s employer’s leftover crumbs.
The segregation of black and white people, the chain gang, and the complexion of his grandmother were some aspects of the South that confused him. “I wanted to understand these two sets of people who lived side by side and never touched, it seemed except in violence.” (pg. 43). He mainly wanted to know more about the South to solve his curiosity of segregation. [Natacha Woodson]
"...I began to be aware of myself as a distinct personality striving against others." (p. 30) Hunger. Survival. These are the interdependent themes heavily expressed in Richard Wright's Black Boy. Hunger is a recurring motif throughout Wright's life, and he experiences it as a child and as a young adult. Although hunger is felt physically in his story, especially after the support of his father is unavailable, Richard also endures hunger metaphysically. As an inquisitive boy, Richard hungers for knowledge and tricks; As a hungry boy, Richard hungers for food and drink; As a young boy, Richard hungers for acceptance and praise; And as a "black boy," Richard hungers for self and understanding. Richard makes many discoveries and realizations about who he is and who "whites" were in the Jim Crow South. In his curious nature, he often makes observations about race, class, and discrimination in the environment in which he lives. One of Richard's realizations occurs when boarding a train to Arkansas, "And for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line." (p. 46) Richard starts to become aware of the different "colors" he sees and attempts to make deeper distinctions between them. He doesn't fully understand why white and black people are treated differently; he asks his mother about his own grandmother's color in hopes of discovering the true meaning behind the races. Richard's comprehension of the races become more clear to him as he grows older. When Richard "grows taller and older" (p. 78) he associates with other black boys in the neighborhood. He illustrates a conversation from pages 79 to 81 that shows how dependent this fraternity of black individuals were upon one another. "The touchstone of fraternity was my feeling toward white people, how much hostility I held toward them, what degrees of value and honor I assigned to race." (p. 78) "The culture of one black household was thus transmitted to another black household...Our attitudes were made, defined, set, or corrected..." (p. 81) This understanding between black brothers roots the perspective Richard would have on white people, including the experiences he shares with his family, for instance, when Uncle Hoskins is shot dead by white people because of his steady liquor business. Richard also makes discoveries about class throughout his childhood, forcing him to become aware of the role he'd have to play in taking care of himself and his brother. Richard's mother would work in white people's homes in the kitchen. As these white people would sit and eat a luxurious meal, Richard was forced to stay in the corner, hungry. "I could not understand why some people had enough food and others did not." (p. 19) Richard is trying to grasp the concept of wealth and poverty. He wants to know why he doesn't have food, something that digs way deeper than race or color. No food was a result of no money. After his father had left his family and especially after his mother had a stroke, Richard was forced to work and make money to provide. This struggle could be seen in Esperanza Rising as well, when her mother had Valley Fever. The youth had to work and save money, because being a second-class citizen was difficult.
Without survival, however, there is no hunger. Richard has survived so much as a child and a "black boy." He overcomes many obstacles and is constantly learning from his mistakes. Every anecdote he illustrates results in a new lesson learned. Whether it be as trivial as killing bees (p. 49), drinking in a saloon and writing curse words on windows (p. 20-21), or as significant as survival on the streets (p. 18), Richard learns to survive through his childhood in the Jim Crow South. [Matthew Freitas]
Always moving from one place to another, Richard Wright had endured quite a lot while growing up; a lot in which made him question himself and those around him. With no understanding of race, class, discrimination and inequality, he experienced it one by one. He experienced class through his family’s desperate need of food and money. Always questioning as to why he had to wait until white people were done eating just to get left over scrapes of their food (mother’s work place). He also then experienced race through the death of his uncle; for his uncle had been killed by white men for being a successful business owner. His death also made Richard confused as to why this kind of thing would happen. As for discrimination, although he wasn’t quite aware of his actions, he had discriminated against Jews. For the fact that he was taught at a young age during Sunday school that Jews were “Christ Killer”. In result to that belief, he had taunted the Jews that owned a store by his home. He insulted them by chanting things like: “Bloody Christ killers, Never trust a Jew. Bloody Christ killer, What won’t a Jew do?” (p.61) Along with that, Richard had also witnessed inequality at the train station with his mother and brother. He had noticed that there were two different lines at the station and two different sections of the train; one for black people and the other for whites. Because of this type of separation and the unanswered questions from his mother, he continued to seek answers as to why things are the way they are. [Mai Cha]
As a child, Richard Wright always knew that he was different from all the other boys but never really knew why. For children an issue of race, discrimination, class, and inequality never hits their radar. Richard was quickly overwhelmed with curiosity and started to ask questions. Richard starts to ask everyone about the differences of whites and blacks but none of them will get him answer straight answers. Curiosity killed the cat or in this case Richard’s innocents and trust for knowledge when he would get in trouble for asking all the wrong questions. (CHRIS PARK)
“Richard Wright’s recollections of life as a young black boy growing up in a world steeped in racial tension, mistrust and fear utterly shocked me. Not so much because of the squalid conditions he endured, nor the dysfunctional—and often abusive—nature of his relationships with those around him. What really surprises me as I pour over the pages is the utter bewilderment he experiences as he slowly builds a picture of what it is to be a black boy at that moment in history. The tension between the races is so violent and runs so deep that it begins to appear instinctual, as if the races really are separate species with an innate, genetic disposition to mistrust and hate one another.
Wright describes a growing awareness that “blacks” are different from “whites,” and that the two groups exist on completely separate planes, occupying separate space—both publicly and privately—traveling separate roads—both literally and figuratively—and even, to a degree, speaking a separate language. Yet each time he makes an effort to gain knowledge of the “how and why” of this separation, those around him react by deflecting, denying or even attacking him in his quest for understanding. “Because,” “Shut up,” “Stop asking silly questions,” fill the air any time Wright sets forth a question in an honest effort to make sense of a senseless world. On page 47, when he struggles to understand why Granny—who appears to be “white” on the surface—lives an otherwise “black” life, Mama refuses to address the question and instead deflects his every inquiry. She finally ends the encounter by mocking her son; “They’ll call you a colored man when you grow up… Do you mind, Mr. Wright?”
From the separate neighborhoods to the piles of food seen on the tables of “white folks,” to the inexplicable violence, nothing in the world seems to make sense to young Wright and his efforts to discover the truth seem to be curtailed at every turn.” (Ian Loveall)
Richard began to notice the differences between classes at a very young age because he grew up in poverty where hunger always lingered. He once helped his mother work in a restaurant and noticed an abundance of food but was forbidden to eat any of it. He watched as others ate as much as they desired and he could not understand why they had the right to eat and he did not. This was an important observation because he experienced the differences between classes and learned that he was in the lower economic class.
Richard first noticed discrimination between blacks and whites when he heard the story of a white man beating a black boy. He initially thought the white man had the right to beat the black boy because he believed the white man was the boy’s father. He confused his father for being white because he had lighter skin but he then realized that being white was more than just having light skin. Before hearing about the beating he had never noticed whites but after having this knowledge he began to pay attention to the inequalities between races. (Patricia Perez)
Richard Wright became increasingly curious about the meanings and implications of being black and being white through interactions with his grandmother. Wright thought of his Grandmother as white due to her fair coloring; she was a vital part of his family and her being white was of little consequence to him. Wright’s family often encountered financial trouble and from a very young age Wright learned that Grandma was the only reliable lifeline who could be called on for assistance in times of need. Grandma lived differently than Wright’s family. In comparison to the series of rickety shacks and meager meals Wright’s family was accustom to, Grandmas house was spacious and elegant with a well stocked pantry. Wright became aware of racial discrimination in part by the way his grandmother was treated when she ventured out with black grandsons in tow. He began seeking answers from the adults he was close to and their reluctance to explain only heightened his hunger for understanding.
-Chantelle Schneider
As we can plainly see, Richard had a very confusing and rough childhood. He moved a lot during the first fifteen years of his life. He seemed to have grown up confused about his race, class, inequalities, and discrimination that surrounded him, his family, and the people of his color. His mother always avoided to answer some of the many questions that Richard had about why they were treated certain ways. He was never explained the differences between the privileges that people had for simply being white and how he didn’t have the same privileges as they did even though they lived around white people, just for simply being black they were inferior to them. For instance, on his way to the groceries store he got assaulted by some white kids, he didn’t know exactly what it was that he had done wrong, but he figured him looking different had something to do with it. Also, when he was confused as to why they had killed his uncle if he was a nice successful man. He didn’t know that they had killed him because it was not acceptable for a black person to be of equal superiority of even higher than a white man. As Richard gets older he observes all the discrimination and inequalities that people of his color went through day by day and it’s like a puzzle because he begins to understand things and everything seems to start making sense for him. He begins to understand that just because he looks different he is treated differently. Richard went through a lot of beatings from his parents for doing, saying, and asking things he was curious about since no one seems to care to explain to him what was going on in his surrounding, but Richard soon acquires enough knowledge about all these things going on and he sees the cruel reality that people of his color go through.
- Sammy Rincon
As a child growing up, Richard Wright was very curious and was in tough scenarios growing up. Wright had no knowledge of race, class, discrimination and inequality. He had an idea people were white and black. But as he heard and saw what the white man did to blacks he grew even more confused. The constant moving, the constant hunger and the loss of his father were situations that made him the man he turned out to be. Those obstacles became normal for him. But the was still more questions than answers.
-Jorge Carrillo
Some how the color white had an invisible ruling over the color black in the south. The whites had aurthority. The whites had food. The whites had power over the blacks. Richard lived with the daily confusesion of the entitlement the color black had over white. Richard's childhood was not grounded in one place, him and his mother moved as it was necessary for their livelihood. No matter where they moved race, class, inequalites, and discrimination followed him. Being the curious child that he was, Richard took his own personal experiences as well as the incidents he had witnessed and put them to memory as if they were evidence that was leading up to an explanation to the unclarity Richard faced. Richard seeked out anwsers from his mother but his yearning only lead to a lashing, which only left him with more unanswered questions. Richard's hunger only grew greater with the number unanswer questions. (Emily George)
Richard Wright was taught as a young child that Whites were superior to the blacks. In his mind he did not know why they had privileges he did not. As a child Richard had to experience great hunger. While his mother worked in the kitchen he and his brother had to stand there in the corner starving, watching the White people eat as the door swung open: Just maybe they would get some scraps to eat if any were left on the dirty plates. Even though he was told all his life to obey the Whites, Richard still could not grasp why the blacks would “allow” themselves to be treated as animals. He could not adapt to the fact that was the way life was supposed to be. He wanted more for him and his family and was not going to settle for anything less. As time goes on he realizes that his way of thinking is different than other blacks. He wants to be a writer and that was unheard of during his time. His own family would ridicule Richards’s dreams and not encourage him at all. They just wanted him to get some schooling and get any job that would help pay bills. As time passes Richard does not let his dream die, and continues to defy what a “South Black” should be. He feels there is more to life than settling and he is willing to risk anything to get it. Richard continues to be hungry as he surches for knowlege to feed his soul.
(Jen Quintana)
Richard began to experience the things he would hear about dealing with white employers and white coworkers, but never experienced it for himself. As he comes in contact with white people, he fails to understand the proper etiquette when in from of a white person. He battles with himself, because he knows that in his household everything, he does is respectful but according to the white people it makes him seem better than them. He battles with himself constantly lacking the understanding of why what he does offend white people. He also battled with himself when Mr. Crane did not understand why Richard was quitting, but Richard knew he could not tell Mr. Crane out of fear. The south was a bubble to Richard where he would never advance, and he fought to advance with attaining several jobs. It was a battle he had to have with himself, learning from a friend how he should act, speak, and never appear to seem smarter than the white man. No matter how much he learned he also came off as smart and better than the white man. Richard would become aware that he was truly inferior to the white man and needed to stay out of their way at all times. (Deshawn Larrimore)
As a young boy in Jim Crow South, Richard Wright was constantly at odds with his family, his friends, and his community. He made many observations and had many first-hand experiences which fueled his questioning of the racism and inequality that plagued the South. Wright asked his mother many times to explain why he must obey and live by the unspoken social code that forced blacks to be subservient to whites; his naivete (or strong natural will) could not allow him to make any sense of these rules. He did not understand why he was to be scared of whites, he did not understand how he was supposed to act and speak with whites, and he certainly did not understand why he was always hungry while whites had an excess of food. The most profound and pivotal event for Wright was the senseless and brutal murder of his Uncle Hoskins. His uncle was a successful black business man and the whites could not stand it; they killed him and the family was denied access to the body for proper burial. It was at this time that Wright understood there was an entrenched hatred for blacks by whites but he did not know why. Upon reaching adolescence he still did not understand the reasons for this hatred; to make matters worse he had reached working age and could not learn how to properly be submissive towards whites which made employment extremely difficult. Wright became notorious in every community he moved to (and as a child he was forced to move a lot) as a sarcastic, disrespectful, and haughty black boy; all of these characterizations were unwarranted but pervasive because he did not speak or act properly with whites. As he grows and becomes older his lack of deference to whites continues to be a persistent problem and eventually creates tensions within his family and among his peers. (Gilbert Felix)
As a young child Richard Wright’s perception of race, class, discrimination, and inequality were skewed due to his mother’s hesitancy to answer his questions about why things were the way they were. Since everyone avoided the topic it left Richard to find out answers himself. One first experiences he had with race was when he was on the train and black and whites were forced to be segregated and sit in different sections. This only fueled Wrights curiosity and confusion because his mother wouldn’t give him a direct answer. Another time he was treated different because of the color of his skin was an incident of him getting beaten up by a group of white boys while going to the grocery store. But inequality wasn’t just because of the color of your skin, when Wrights mother took his father to court to try and get child support so her children would be hungry the judge took the fathers word over the women’s word. This made Wright full of anger and resentment towards his father. As he gets older he started to comprehend how his color and social class effect his life in more ways than he ever knew. (Sarah Pino)